Not especially outstanding in appearance, but not bad either. Orange-tan and clear, without a large head or lots of lace, but not bad.

The aroma and flavor kind of reminded me of their wonderful Altbier, a good malty base and a nice bit of floral hops, combined with a lightly grassy / almost hay-like notes, finished off with a little bready biscuit and caramel malt notes.

Carbonation is about spot-on, despite the lack of head.

Damn drinkable, I'll say that for sure. Hard to keep from pounding that first one, as I was very thirsty after a long day! Certainly well crafted tho, RABC never lets me down. Because they're so good it makes it easy to buy local too.

The more I drink it, the more I want this to be a year-round beer. A buddy of mine who doesn't drink that much beer says "if this were how all beer tasted, I'd drink beer all the time." It's grown on us both. Dangerously delicious.

A: Pours a slightly hazed golden, copper color. A rocky, two finger white head rises with excellent retention. Tons of lacing, in rings and globs sticking all the way down the glass.
S: A perfect mineral like yeast character in the nose. Biscuit malts, crackers, with a light grassy/floral finish. Simple, but excellent.
T: Like the nose, simple, but just incredible. Lager yeast, and almost mineral like up front, That quickly fades to biscuit malts, and maybe a touch of sweet caramel malt. Finishes with a light spice, and dry grassy/floral hops.
M/D: A medium body with near perfect carbonation. Crisp, clean, and refreshing. Finishes, mostly with a nice dry bite that brings everything together. So enjoyable and easy to drink. I can't get enough of this.

I love me some Anchor Steam. Though this is superb. Maybe it is that I have gotten this pretty fresh. Unfortunately, most Anchor products are beyond old, so I don't purchase them as much as I want. Simplicity at its best, and petty much everything I want for the style. Please make this year round.

12 fl oz brown glass bottle with generic label art and silver colour branded pry-off cap acquired at Trader Joe's and served into a Pinthouse Pizza branded conical pint glass in me gaff in low altitude Austin, Texas. Reviewed live. Expectations are above average. Reviewed as a California common for obvious reasons. It's good to see more and more breweries brewing beers in this tragically underrepresented style. Best consumed by "04.13.14." "Seasonal. Limited edition."

Served cold. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: No bubble show forms as it's poured.

Pours a one finger wide head of off-white colour. Disappointingly thin. Okay creaminess. No real lacing clings to the sides of the glass as the head recedes. Head retention is average - about two minutes. Complexion is okay. Consistency is mediocre.

Body colour is a clear translucent pale copper of average vibrance. Clean; no yeast particles/sediment is visible.

Overall, it looks pretty standard for a steam beer/common. I'm optimistic, but it's not unique or special. There are no noticeable flaws here.

Sm: It's a bit soapy - indicative that it spent a bit too long in primary. Has a sweet honey-esque malt build and a grassy floral hop profile. There's some reticent (what Real Ale's marketing department refers to as "subtle") toffee notes and caramalt. Lightly milky. It's a nice dry aroma and seems spot-on for the style. I'm looking forward to trying this.

A pleasant aroma of mild strength.
'
No yeast character or alcohol is detectable.

T: The grassy, floral hop character plays beautifully against the sweet pale malt/pilsner malt foundation. It's got some welcome cream character too. There's a hint of faint fruitiness as well as timid notes of toffee and caramel/caramalt.

No alcohol or yeast character comes through.

It's quite simple, but damn is it balanced. Above average depth of flavour. Average duration and intensity of flavour. Good amplitude; this is a cohesive, near-gestalt build. It has some nice subtleties. It's not real intricate or nuanced, but few beers in this style are.

As simple as it is, the taste delivers in terms of style conventions. I'm really liking this beer.

Mf: Wonderfully soft - wow. It's also nicely creamy and has a near perfect level of dryness and coarseness; there's enough coarseness to coax out the full potential of the flavours but it's still smooth enough to refresh. A bit overcarbonated, but it's forgivable. Crisp. Medium-bodied. Moderate weight on the palate. Good presence on the palate. This is an example of a case in which the brewers really nailed the texture; the mouthfeel feels custom-tailored specifically to this style and flavour profile. Great execution.

Not oily, astringent, rough, gushed, hot, or boozy.

Dr: This surpassed my expectations. It's an extremely drinkable Steam beer I'm wishing I'd gotten a 6 pack of. Extremely sessionable stuff. I'd recommend friends try it but it's not worth going out of your way to seek out. For fans of the style, this is almost a must-try. Surprisingly good stuff from Real Ale. I'm inhaling it.